Box-car loader



H. D. PRATT.

BOX CAR LOADER. APPLiCAUON FILED DEC. 24, 119|?.

` aen June 79 1192i;

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H` D. PRATT.

BOX CAR LOADER.

APPLicATloN FILED nec. 24, i917;-

wm Jim@ 1921,

LSSLQ,

.AS SIGNOR T@ LlEK-EELT Specification of 'Letters Patent.

'Patented June F?, 192i.

pplicaton filed ecember 2e, Serial No. 2618,6424.

inrther object of the invention is to i sf'l l '"f g' the material i t by controlling the speed ot" the helt.

Een

to niount so tiat the device cnn 'oe slntted Without further object ot the invention the driving inotor on the device interierine' with the driving mechanism.

A still i i'her object of the invention is toA design the device so that the hopper will nroject beyoml the sides ofthe car at the tion' opening' to receive material from an c. ide chute at any posit un of the belt.

the accompanying .lreWings:- .gore l. is a. sectional plan view of one i a box carsliovving the loader in position to discharge material tow-ord the l i' end of the car;

l is a sectional Ilevation of the car showing; the loader 'in position; l 3, is an end'vieiv of my improved a sectional vienv on the line Ll-1,

.'1. a :sectional vienv on the line 5 5,

Referring the dravinygs, l is a box car of the ordinary type, having' central openings i closed by doors 3, 3. 4 my iniproved'hoiY car loader, conslisting` ei n plettorni 5 on which are the hearings for an axle o' for the 'tivo wheels Y, which are the main supports for the loader. At each'end of the platform are pivotally inoiinted casters 1T, and these casters act to steady the strnctore. B1.' this construct-ion, one :nan can readily sihi'lt the loader to any position. de- Sired and can roll it into and ent olf-the car,

S is a l elt conveyer having cleats 9, in the present instance, and the conveyor passes around Wheels l() and il, the .vliee l being mounted on e driven shaft l2. Both Shafts are adapted to boxes carried by a trarne 13, of any suitable construction, the trarne being light and substantial. @n the shaft l2 is a pulley 12a around which passes a loelt ll from a pulley l on the shaft oll a motor 16, the motor bei; mounted on the platform 5n Ordinary ine-ans are 1 rovided 'for regulating the speed o the niotor so that the belt can loe driven any speed desired. rlhe conveyer is :inclinedf as shown, and directly ahove the lower end ot the conveyer is a hopper 18, preferably curved at the rear, as shown. in the plan vien', Fig. l, and of such a size line ot' the car so that it een receive material troni a chute 19, shown by dotted lines in Figs, and Extending from 'the hopper and projecting' over each side ot the conv/yer for a certain distance are guides terial onto the conv yer.

lhe eonveyer belt 8 is supported, in the present instance, between the tivo wheels l() and ll by one or more rollers 2l and a longitudinal support 3() having' indined delectors 3l which prevent any material fall* ing onto the lower run of the belt from the hopper or upper run, and at eacli side of the upper run oi the belt are intorned girards 32 1which extend under the upper run of the helt, as shown in Fig. Li.

ln order to aid in directing' the material to different portions of the ear, l provide a del'lector 22 inoun'lcd on arms 22:3 pivoted at 24.; 'to the outer end ol the traine lil. At-v tached to one of the arn'is is an adjusting' rod havingaliandle which extends to a point within easy reach ot the operator; the rod is held in position hy any suitable means, in the present inetance the rod passes through a swivel clamp 2&3 secured to the frame 13. Ey adjusting' the rod 25 the delector can he mover 'to dill'erent angles, sneh asv shown in dotted lines Fig. 2.

ln operating' my improved hor; car loader, 't an en'ipty car is ln'onffht to the platform, le loader pushed into the car and the deer end is turned toward one end of the Shown in l? l. rlhe hopper o t' the is located C otly onder e chute 19 c outside off the car leading troni an n ,ed 1ein, or other container. Tliematerial flows through this chute into the hopper and onto the inclined belt which carries the tnat it iyill project beyond the 2l) which hold inamaterial forward and discharges it from the outer end of the loader. The speed of the motor can' be regulated so as to increase or diminish the travel ofthe eonveyer, and thus increased or decreased the extento travel of the material vafter leaving the conveyer, so that by regulating the travel of the conveyer the material can be thrown to the end of the car or to any point desired between the end of the car and the con- Vever, andto facilitate the movement oi the material, Without materially deereasiirrg` the travel of the conveyor, l provide the de- Hector 22, which can be shifted so as to be clear of the material after it leaves the conveyer, or so the material will strike the deflector and will be discharged onto the floor, or onto the material directly below the end ot the conveyer.

The belt 8 is run at high speed and by means of the cleats 9 material can be thrown to the end of the car; this makes possible 'a short belt and a comparatively light structure so that it is easy to handle. may be of .'arious forms to suit diiferent materials, and the speed of the belt is varied to obtain the best results for loading Wet, dry or granular material. i

I prefer to make the hopper rounded at the back so that, irrespective of its position, a portion of the hopper extends beyond the side ot the ear so as to be in position to receive material from an outside chute.

The cleats lVhen the ear has been loaded to a point where it is necessary to close a portion of the side opening, the device can be removed from the car and located on the platform with the discharge end ot the conveyer projecting into the car and the balance of the car may be loaded to the level desired,

The combination of a portable car loader adapted toibo moved bodily into a car and oi" such length as to be turned Within a car to discharge material into the ends thereof, and a platform, wheels supporting the platform, a iframe carried by the platform and an inclined conveyer frame thereon having bearings at each end and a shaft mounted in each bearing, a wheel on each shaft, an endless belt conveyer passing around the wheels and arranged to carry the Inaterial, transverse slats on the belt, a hopper directly above the lowest portion of the belt and arranged to feed material to the belt, said hopper beingr of greater width than the belt so as to project beyond the car body to allow material to be discharged from a chute on the outside ol the car into the hopper and a support ander the belt and inclined delectors on each sideot the support to prevent the material from falling onto the lower run of the conveyer belt.

ln witness whereof l aiix my signature.

HOWELL D. PRATT. 

